Various techniques have been used to connect picket fence panels. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,822,053, 4,540,160, 4,723,760, 5,120,025, 5,150,885, 5,161,783 and 5,372,354 disclose picket fence assemblies using several different means for connecting the vertical pickets to the horizontal rails. Such picket fence assemblies are increasingly being fabricated from plastics such as PVC due to the durability, appearance and low cost of such materials.
Flush-mounted picket fences are gaining widespread use, wherein an exterior surface of each horizontal rail is mounted against an exterior surface of each vertical picket. In this type of assembly, the rails and pickets are typically hollow and are connected by fasteners such as self-tapping screws or drive rivets. However, the use of such fasteners is relatively labor intensive and requires the use of tools for assembly. Moreover, such fasteners require holes to be drilled through the outwardly facing surfaces of the rails and/or pickets in order to allow access to the fasteners during assembly. These holes may be plugged by plastic caps and the like, but such caps represent additional costs in terms of component parts and assembly, and can detract from the appearance of the assembled fence.
In addition to picket fences, many other types of panels require flush-mount fasteners. For instance, in the automotive industry several different types of panel fasteners are used for attaching trim, emblems, upholstery, sheet metal parts and the like to support panels. Examples of such fasteners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,842,709, 3,860,999, 3,939,752 and 4,652,192. Flush-mount fasteners may also be useful in the appliance and modular furniture industries.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing and to overcome other deficiencies of the prior art.